Tokyo Electric Power says it will install a filter-equipped emergency vent system to reduce levels of radioactivity released in the air in case of a meltdown at a nuclear power plant.

The process can reduce levels of radioactive iodine and cesium by a factor of up to 1,000. [link to www3.nhk.or.jp] .

Quoting: Anonymous Coward 30558272

U.S. Nuclear Regulators Divided on Costly Fukushima Rule

The filter requirement would be the most expensive imposed by U.S. nuclear regulators since Fukushima, at a cost of $16 million or more per reactor, according to the NRC staff's estimate. Industry officials say the cost of adding the filters could be more, depending on the layout of each plant.

"It is not an insubstantial investment that we are making," said Maria Korsnick, chief nuclear officer with Exelon Corp. (EXC) unit Constellation Energy, during Wednesday's hearing.

With U.S. nuclear operators already contending with competition from power plants running on low-priced natural gas, the added expense could be "another chip away at the viability of the nuclear industry overall," said Julien Dumoulin-Smith, a utility industry analyst with UBS.